Former US President Donald Trump made history on Thursday as the first former president to be convicted of a felony in a corrupt trial. While the news was not all good for him, Trump did manage to benefit from the conviction in terms of fundraising. Legal analysts have noted that Judge Juan Merchan likely violated Trump’s constitutional rights in his handling of the trial, while others claimed that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg created the laws leading to the former president’s conviction.
Despite these criticisms, Trump’s campaign website crashed shortly after the guilty verdict on all 34 counts was read, due to an overwhelming number of people trying to donate in response to the verdict. WinRed, a payment processor for Republican campaign donations, also experienced difficulties following Trump’s conviction.
The Trump campaign attributed these technical issues to the high volume of donors seeking to support the former president after the guilty verdict. While WinRed eventually recovered, it is unclear whether the website is fully functional and capable of processing donations. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the issue.
Interestingly, President Joe Biden’s campaign also attempted to capitalize on Trump’s conviction. In a fundraising text sent to supporters, the Biden campaign wrote: “Despite a jury finding Donald Trump guilty today, there is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: At the ballot box.
As WinRed went down, Trump’s campaign website directed donors to Anedot, another fundraising platform commonly used by various GOP campaigns. Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, told Fox News that the digital fundraising system had been inundated with record numbers of supporters immediately following the verdict. He further emphasized that this massive outpouring of support demonstrates that Americans recognize the trial as the political election interference it was intended to be by Democrats and President Biden.
Within minutes of the verdict being read, Trump’s team released a fundraising appeal to supporters. In an email, Trump wrote: “Friend: Is this the end of America? I was just convicted in a RIGGED political Witch Hunt trial.” He also highlighted his end-of-month fundraising deadline and referred to himself as a “political prisoner” in a photo included with the message.
Following his conviction, Trump indicated that he intends to focus on defeating President Biden in the upcoming election. In an interview with Fox News’ Brooke Singman, he said: “We’ll be fighting hard,” and expressed excitement about getting back on the campaign trail. A Trump campaign spokesperson told the outlet, “President Trump won’t let this sham stop the movement of this campaign to save the nation.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump also maintained a defiant tone, writing in all caps: “This was a disgrace — a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who is corrupt. We will fight for our Constitution—this is long from over.
